Contracts & Clients

Freelance Contracts in Australia: What to Include and What to Watch For

What belongs in every freelance contract, common red flags, and how to handle scope creep. A quick reference for Australian freelancers.

2 min read·

A quick reference for what belongs in a freelance contract, what to push back on, and the one sentence that handles scope creep.

73%
Of freelancers have done unpaid work from scope creep
14 days
Standard payment terms
50%
Common deposit for new projects

What belongs in every contract

Scope of work
"Build a 5-page site from approved wireframes" not "design a website."
Payment terms
Fee, deposit (30–50%), schedule, late payment consequences.
Revision limits
2–3 rounds included. Extra rounds billed separately.
IP and ownership
Creator owns copyright by default in Australia. Clarify upfront.
Termination
Notice period, kill fee, what happens to completed work.

Red flags

"Unlimited revisions." Never ends. Net-60/90 terms. Months unpaid. "All IP in perpetuity." Always negotiable. Broad non-competes. Often unenforceable in Australia.

Scope creep

"Happy to add that. It's outside the original scope, so I'll send a quick quote for the additional work. Want me to put that together?"

Want the complete picture?

The Complete Guide to Freelancing in Australia covers this topic and 12 more chapters: tax, super, BAS, contracts, pricing, and more.

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